How to Create a Yoga Resume That Stands Out From the Crowd

If you haven’t noticed yet, yoga is booming. The industry is growing at a tremendous rate and now more than ever. Yoga is being accepted as a powerful practice worldwide and I’d be willing to bet, not only because you are on a yoga website, that either you or at least one person you know have tried or will try yoga in the near future. Due to this increasing interest in the practice, yoga teacher trainings and jobs are springing up all over the world. This has created what some might consider a saturated market with a lot of competition, which makes it challenging to stand out amongst the crowd.

Having a standout resume is critical in getting noticed. I personally have a strong sense of creativity and a knack for the basics of graphic design and by that I mean color schemes, layout and font types. With these skills and some tools I will share with you later in the post, I was able to create a resume that stands out and I am going to teach you to do the same. So, you ready? Let’s go.

No. 1 | Use the Tools
I’ve always been a huge fan of the concept, “work smarter, not harder.” By using the tools we have available to us today thanks to the internet and fancy apps, we can do things with much more ease than before. I am definitely no graphic designer and since you probably aren’t either (kudos to you if you are!) we can work smarter by using tools like Canva. Canva is a site/program that allows you to create a ton of different types of graphics just as if you were a real designer. There are hundreds if not thousands of templates that are premade. All you have to do is choose one and add your own information and voila, your graphics look like a pro did them.

The extra cool part about it, it’s free. Annnnnd, there is a whole set of templates just for resumes. Ohh yeah, baby! I’ve been using this feature since last year when I created my resume for the job I got teaching yoga at a surf school in Portugal. The beautiful part about it, besides the fact that it will look beautiful, is that most people aren’t using this type of layout to present themselves. The old school, black and white, text-laden resume is still effective yet a bit boring in my opinion. We are in the new age! Set yourself apart by doing something different to stand out. Check out this sample image of my resume.

No. 2 | Introduce Yourself

Don’t underestimate the power of a cover letter. I know cover letters can often feel like an extra step that seems unnecessary, and in all truth it is. It is not necessary although some companies will request one. However, if you want to stand apart and give your potential employer the opportunity to connect with you personally, you will take advantage of the cover letter.

So you aren’t the most skilled writer? So what. A cover letter is just a way for someone to get to know you a little better. Why do you love yoga? What inspired you to begin teaching? Why do you want to work for “them”? What can you bring to the table that is unique? What is your teaching style or what type of yoga do you love to teach? These are some good places to start in terms of cover letters. You want to stay focused on the objective, getting the job. Don’t start talking about your favorite cat, Sputnik, or what kind of food you love (unless there is some type of vegetarian or vegan emphasis in a retreat type setting).

Look at it this way, if you were hiring someone, what would you want to know about them that would help you determine if they were the right fit for your team? If you have created a stunning looking resume and a compelling cover letter, you definitely should have drawn some interest and be confident that someone will reach out to you.

No. 3 | The Follow Up

Consistency can really be the difference in getting a job or not. After you send your resume, give yourself about 5-7 days to send a follow-up email if you haven’t heard anything. You can also, if you really want to go the extra mile, contact them through some other medium. Find their company e-mail on their website, look them up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let them know you’re interested in the job and that you’ve sent your resume.

Again, the idea is to do what no one else is doing. However, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, be overwhelming and annoying. Meaning, don’t contact them on every single social media site, choose one, maybe two max and leave it at that. You just want to get on their radar so they notice you, that is all. You don’t want to be that obnoxious applicant that calls and e-mails everyday. Have faith and patience and leave the rest to the Universe.

Hope this was helpful you guys! Go out, make kick ass resumes and let the beauty of what you create stand out and make you shine. Remember to take your time with these things. I took several hours to create mine to get the right colors, text, wording and perfect layout. Once you have an awesome resume and cover letter, you can make small changes to fit each job (most specifically a customized cover letter) or you can make generic ones that you can send out to everyone. Good luck and may the creative force be with you!
Peace, Love and Namaste,

Angela Franklin

Angie was born in Madrid, Spain and raised in the capital of California where she now resides. She began her journey into yoga after watching the movie "Awake" about a yogi from India that brought yoga to the West. Inspired by yogic philosophy, Angie has traveled abroad teaching yoga and now has her own private studio in the heart of downtown Sacramento. She teaches at studios around the city and at California State University, Sacramento.